Fleet of MD80s face reinspection over slides on planes

ABOUT HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH TSARNAEV. AS SOON AS WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS ARREST WE'LL BRING IT TO YOU IN THIS NEWSCAST AND ON CLICKORLANDO.COM. TONIGHT, HUNDREDS OF PASSENGERS ARE STRANDED HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. THEY WERE SUPPOSED SO TAKE OFF TODAY BUT AALLEGIANT AIR CANCELLED THE FLIGHT. IS THERE AN ACTUAL SAFETY CONCERN? IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE IT. THE OFFICIALS TELL US THEY DO PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE ON THE INDIANTOWN -- INFLATABLE SLIDES EVERY YEAR. WHILE THEY'RE DOING CATCH-UP, THERE'S A LOT OF STRANDED PASSENGERS HERE. FAMILIES FOUND THEMSELVES BOARDING A HOTEL SHUTTLE. LEE WE HAVE A WEDDING TO GO TO. SO WE WERE PLANNING ON HAVING THE WEEKEND. TOOK TIME OFF FROM WORK. WORKED AN EXTRA DAY TO TAKE THIS DAY OFF. IT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING. ON MONDAY, AN AIRLINE WAS ABOUT TO TAKE OFF AND PASSENGERS GOT OUT USING INFLATABLE SLIDES AFTER SMOKE FILLED UP THE CABIN. THE AIRLINE DISCOVERED IT HAD NOT BEEN DOING MAINTENANCE WORK ON THE SLIDES AS FREQUENTLY AS THE MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDS. AS A RESULT, THE AIRLINE GROUNDED 30 AIRCRAFT UNTIL IT COULD DETERMINE WHICH SLIDES WERE IN COMPLIANCE. THAT KIND OF STINKS. BUT IT'S A WEEKEND. SO NOBODY HAS TO BE BACK TO WORK UNTIL MONDAY, SO IT'S ALL GOOD. THE STRANDED PASSENGERS WILL RECEIVE A FULL REFUND AND A CREDIT TOWARD ANOTHER TRIP, BUT SINCE NO OTHER AIRLINES OUT OF SANFORD FLY TO THE SAME DESTINATIONS, SHE'S STUCK WAITING FOR ANOTHER ALLEGIANT FLIGHT. I PLAN ON GETTING ON THAT FLIGHT TOMORROW. IF WE CAN'T GET ON THAT FLIGHT, THEN THAT WILL BE FRUSTRATING. FLIGHTS TOMORROW WILL TAKE OFF, ALONG WITH THE SCHEDULED FLIGHTS TOMORROW. SINCE IT COULD TAKE THEM ADDITIONAL TIME TO WORK OUT THE MAINTENANCE ISSUE, THERE MAY BE MORE CANCELLATIONS SUNDAY AND BEYOND. WELL, ALLEGIANT HAS A PRETTY BIG PRESENCE AT ORLANDO SANFORD AIRPORT. HOW WILL IT AFFECT THE AIRLINE? THE GOOD NEWS, IF YOU COULD CALL IT THAT, THERE WAS ONLY TWO INBOUND AND TWO OUTBOUND FLIGHTS THAT WERE CANCELLED.

SANFORD, Fla. -

Allegiant Air says it will bring in planes from other airlines to try and minimize delays after a "compliance issue" with safety slides grounded dozens of the company's jets.

At least four Allegiant flights have already been cancelled at the Orlando-Sanford International Airport because of the problem.

On Monday, a flight from Las Vegas to Peoria was evacuated on the taxiway before takeoff when a smoke detector went off, prompting the emergency slides to be deployed and used, according to Allegiant officials.

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During the investigation of that incident, Allegiant discovered that the emergency slide manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule was different than what Allegiant had been doing. In 2007, the manufacturer recommended that all 4 slides on each aircraft be "overhauled" every year. Allegiant was still doing it every three years, as the manufacturer had recommended prior to 2007.

Allegiant is in the process of ensuring that all 4 slides on all 52 of their MD-80's are in compliance. Thursday night, 30 were taken out of service. 15 were back in service on Friday afternoon but delays are expected for several days while the rest of the jets are inspected.

"We apologize for the disruption to our passengers and ask that they please remain patient as we work to correct the issue, reschedule affected flights and accommodate any passengers impacted," said Andrew Levy, Allegiant Travel Company president.

Some passengers told Local 6 that they were planning on attending a wedding but may now miss it. Others said they will likely also miss scheduled events, including football games.

Stranded passengers said Allegiant offered them a hotel voucher and $100 toward a future flight. Allegiant officials said they've offered passengers with a 2-hour delay $100 credit for a future flight, 4-hour delays get $150, 6-hour delays get $200, and canceled passengers are getting a full refund plus a $200 credit. They are also providing hotels for those who are stuck.

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